Raquel Welch is one of the most recognizable stars of the 90s. Born Jo Raquel Tejada, the California native first gained attention for her role in Fantastic Voyage. She skyrocketed to fame following her appearance in the 1966 flick One Million Years B.C. Welch only had three lines in the film, but images of her in the doe-skin bikini became worldwide sensations.
The images turned Welch into a sex symbol as posters of the image lined teenagers’ walls from coast to coast. Welch would later prove that she was more than a pretty face by collecting a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her performance in The Three Musketeers.
Raquel has dropped off the limelight and is focused on selling her beauty products
Raquel Welch will turn 81 in several months and she is still as stunning as ever. She doesn’t appear publicly as much as she did in her heyday, but recent photos show that she is doing well.
Welch’s last on-screen appearance came in 2017 in the television series Date My Dad. She also appeared in the 2017 film How to Be a Latin Lover.
Towards the twilight of her acting career, Raquel ventured into the beauty business. She experienced moderate success with a jewelry and skincare line, but it was her wig venture that really took off.
The latest in her line of wigs is the Raquel Welch Spring 2021 collection. “I like what I do,” Raquel said of her shift to entrepreneurship. “I actually enjoy being me and I make a very good living and I’m happy.”
Welch initially struggled with her identity as a sex symbol, but eventually learned to embrace it
Raquel Welch has numerous acting credits, but very few of those projects focused on Raquel’s acting talent. After she emerged as a sex symbol, almost all projects she participated in portrayed her as such.
“Everyone thought I should go around in a bikini even if it happened to be snowing outside,” she recalled. “I could have walked around by myself, and nobody would have known me – unless I was wearing a bikini.”
Eventually, however, she learned to embrace society’s perception of her. Instead of fighting it, she endeavored to be the best at it. “Americans have always had sex symbols,” she said. ‘It’s a time-honored tradition, and I’m flattered to have been one.”
“But it’s hard to have a long, fruitful career once you’ve been stereotyped that way. That’s why I’m proud to say I’ve endured.”